The present invention relates to a guided beam type of flat display device wherein at least one and preferably each of a plurality of electron beams are scanned over a different area portion of an image screen. The invention relates particularly to a scan deflection structure for scanning each of the beams in one of its two orthogonal scan directions within its area portion of the screen.
One structure which has been proposed for a large area screen flat display device comprises a thin box-like envelope with one of the large sides thereof constituting a faceplate on which a phosphor screen is disposed. Within the envelope are a plurality of spaced, parallel support (against external atmospheric pressure) walls perpendicularly disposed to and between the large sides of the envelope forming a plurality of parallel channels. Across one end of the channels is a gun structure which directs at least one electron beam along each of the channels. In each of the channels is a beam guide which confines the electron beam in the channel and guides the beam along the length of the channel. The beam guide also includes means for deflecting the electron beam out of the beam guide at selected points along the beam guide. The beams in all of the channels are simultaneously deflected out of the beam guides toward the phosphor screen at each of the selected points to achieve a line-by-line scanning of the phosphor screen. This type of display device as disclosed by the prior art required as many beams as picture elements desired for horizontal resolution in black and white operation and two or three times as many for color operation.